TEDC 
SUNBEAM 


BY 
GRACE  SPERR* 


^ 


JOHN  HENRY  NASH  LIBRARY 

<$>  SAN  FRANCISCO  <$> 

PRESENTED  ID  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

ROBERT  GORDON  SPROUL,  PRESIDENT 

MR.ANDMR$.MILTON  S.RAY 
CECILY,  VIRGINIAANDROSALYN  RAY 

AND  THE 

RAY  OIL  BURNER  COMPANY 


SAK  FRANCISCO 
NEW  YORK- 


Td 


TEDDY  SUNBEAM 

LITTLE  FABLES 

FOR  LITTLE  HOUSEKEEPERS 

BY 

CHARLOTTE  GRACE  SPERRY 


PAUL     ELDER     AND     COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS,    SAN     FRANCISCO 


Copyright,  1905 

by  Paul  Elder  and  Company 

San  Francisco 


The  Tomoye  Press 
San  Francisco 


To  Mary  R.  Smith, 
the  friend  of  all  girls, 
this  little  volume  is 
affectionately  dedicated. 


Mr.  Nobody's  Fault. 
Miss  Lend-a-Hand. 
Only  Four  Words. 
The  Microbe's  Foe. 


Contents. 

Mr.  Coalscuttle. 
Teddy  Sunbeam's  Protest. 
The  Doggie's  Ignorance. 
Miss  Dishcloth's  Ancestry. 


Teddy  on  the  War-path.    Mr.  Sunbeam's  Visit. 
The  Violet's  Tear.  A  Bit  of  Flower  Gossip. 

Mr.  Spider's  Escape.  Princess  Order. 

Prince  Wasteful's  Defeat.  Miss  Chrysanthemum's  Victory. 
The  Woes  of  Mr.  Fly.        Teddy  Sunbeam  at  Work. 

The  Kitten's  Protest. 


TEDDY   SUNBEAM 


Mr.  Nobody's  Fault. 

Mr.  Nobody  did  it.  That  was  certain.  At 
first  Mama  supposed  one  of  the  children  had 
been  guilty  of  carelessness,  but  it  soon  trans- 
pired that  this  was  not  so.  Mr.  Nobody  alone 
was  to  blame.  It  was  he  who  had  carelessly 
thrown  a  wet  towel  into  the  clothes-basket 
instead  of  hanging  it  on  the  edge  to  dry;  then 
some  one  threw  a  white  dress  on  top. 

The  towel  could  not  dry  and  in  resentment 
made  the  dress  damp,  with  the  result  that  both 
became  mildewed.  The  pretty  little  dress  was 
covered  with  spots  and  seemed  ruined.  Mama 
looked  so  sad  about  it,  but  strange  enough  she 


looked  sorrier  still,  when  she  found  that  Mr.  No- 
body had  caused  the  mischief. 

I  wonder  if  this  was  why  Mama's  face  was 
so  sad  as  she  took  the  dress  carefully  to  the 
laundry  and  put  salt  on  each  spot  which  she 
carefully  moistened  with  lemon  juice,  and  then 
carried  the  dress  out  and  spread  it  on  the  lawn 
for  Teddy  Sunbeam  to  do  the  rest. 

At  first  Teddy  sulked  and  retired  behind  a 
cloud;  he  did  not  quite  like  to  repair  damage 
that  Mr.  Nobody  had  caused.  Presently,  though, 
his  mood  changed  and  he  came  out  all  smiles 
and  beat  the  spot  with  his  rays  until  it  faded 
slowly  but  surely  away. 


Miss  Lend-a-Hand. 

"Dear  little  Lend-a-Hand, 

With  cheeks  all  aglow, 
Was  still  busy  at  work, 
I  want  you  to  know. 

"Her  tasks  had  been  finished 
Sometime  in  the  past- 

"Why  don't  you  go  on?"  demanded  Miss 
Rainbow  when  Teddy  Sunbeam  paused  and  wiped 
his  moist  brow  with  a  cloudlet. 

"Don't  know  any  more." 

" Teddy  Sunbeam!" 

"I  don't,  honest." 


"I  thought  every  one  knew  her  story." 

"Guess  they  do,  but  that  don't  mean  they 
can  repeat  all  the  verses  written  about  her." 

"Why  is  she  such  a  favorite?'  suddenly 
asked  Starbeam  who  had  just  waked  up  from 
a  nap. 

He  knew  very  few  of  the  fairies  that  lived 
in  the  Land  of  Day,  but  Teddy  Sunbeam  tried  to 
keep  him  posted  about  them. 

"Why  is  she  such  a  favorite?  Listen,  Star- 
beam,  and  I  will  tell  you.  Princess  Lend-a-Hand, 
as  she  is  lovingly  called,  lives  on  the  Road  of 
Life,  where  there  are  many  little  duties  to  per- 
form, some  hard  to  do  if  Mr.  Cross  is  near,  but 
all  possible  to  accomplish.  Lend-a-Hand  has  her 
tasks,  too,  but  when  hers  are  finished  she  never 
hastens  away, — she  lingers  near,  giving  a  bright 
smile  or  a  cheery  word;  and  many  times,  too, 
she  offers  a  hand  to  those  who  have  found  their 
path  invaded  by  Mr.  Weariness  and  Mr.  Slow. 
With  her  aid  those  who  are  behind  find  them- 
selves aided  and  cheered;  she  does  all  this  with 
a  sunny  smile  and  watchful  eyes  that  never 
miss  a  chance  to  help  another.  Is  it  strange  we 
all  love  her?"  queried  Teddy  Sunbeam. 


Only  Four  Words. 

"Mother  will  never  know." 

Only  four  words,  but  they  saddened  Mother's 
day,  and  while  the  children  thought  it  was  a 
headache  that  made  her  so  quiet,  they  little 
realized  the  dull,  heavy  ache  in  the  loving  heart. 

Teddy  Sunbeam,  peering  in  at  the  window, 
saw  the  sad  look  in  Mother's  eyes  and  knew 
the  cause.  Flitting  away,  he  told  Miss  Violet  of 
it.  She  was  his  confidante,  his  favorite  in  all  the 
garden  of  flowers;  her  gentle  sympathy  always 
comforted  him,  and  he  thought  that  a  bit  of  per- 
fume which  he  might  carry  from  her  into  the 
open  window  would  cheer  a  bit. 


"It  isn't  so  much  that  Mother  will  not  know 
about  the  little  things,"  moaned  Violet,  "but  the 
people  who  do  know  will  blame  her;  they  will 
think  the  children  know  no  better,  that  she  does 
not  love  them  and  has  failed  to  teach  them  the 
difference  between  right  and  wrong/' 

"Yes,"  said  Teddy,  "and  the  very  fact  of 
hiding  anything  from  her  is  deceit." 

"Almost  as  bad  as  a  fib!" 

"Just  as  bad,  for  every  bit  of  deceit  means 
another  thorn  for  Miss  Rose." 

"Yes,  Teddy,  but  think  of  Mother's  sorrow! 
She  doesn't  mind  the  blame  that  comes  to  her 
for  the  children's  naughty  deeds  as  much  as  the 
thought  that  if  they  loved  her  they  would  never 
do  anything  that  they  did  not  want  her  to  know." 


The  Microbe's  Foe. 

Here's  a  tale  of  dish-rags, 
Left  hanging  in  the  sun; 

Four  and  twenty  minutes 
And  the  work's  begun. 

Soon  the  odors  vanish, 

And  when  the  cloth  is  dry, 

"There  is  smell  of  nothing," 
The  little  microbes  cry. 

Leave  the  dish-rag  hanging 
All  wet  beside  the  sink, 

And  the  smells  are  many, 
No  matter  what  you  think. 


And  there,  too,  lurks  grave  danger, 
For  germs  are  gaining  ground, 

Where  evil  smells  are  dwelling 
And  microbes  stalk  around. 

Then  let  Teddy  Sunbeam 
Fight  the  microbe  band, 

Let  him  dry  the  dish-rags 
Throughout  all  the  land. 


Teddy  on  the  War-path. 

Teddy  Sunbeam  was  coughing  and  sneezing 
so  from  the  dust,  and  his  face  was  so  clouded  by 
it,  that  Miss  Broom  hardly  recognized  him  when 
he  came  in  through  the  hall  door. 

"Nice  welcome,  I  must  remark;  a  little  more 
dust  and  dirt  and  I  could  not  have  found  my 
way  in  at  all." 

"But,  Teddy,  it  is  sweeping  day." 

"Don't  care  if  it  is;  there  is  no  sense  in 
blinding  a  fellow  in  this  way." 

"  Please  don't  be  so  cross."  Miss  Broom  looked 
up  pleadingly. 

"Can't  help   it.    Just   look   at   Miss   Picture 


Frame  all  covered  with  dust!  Who  can  climb 
up  there  and  clean  her?  You  can't  stand  a  lad- 
der on  the  stairs.  And  look  at  those  banisters! 
I  know  one  little  girl  that  will  have  one  long 
piece  of  work  dusting  them.  What  on  earth 
possessed  you  to  brush  all  the  dirt  from  the 
upper  hall  down  the  stairs,  step  by  step  ? ' 

"I  don't  know,"  sobbed  Miss  Broom. 

"It  raises  a  horrid  cloud  that  way  and 
causes  so  much  more  work." 

"Well,   what   would   you   have    them   do?' 
snapped  Mr.  Carpet. 

"Do?  Why,  have  Mr.  Dust  Pan  take  up  all 
the  dirt  from  the  upper  hall,  and  then  his  cousin, 
Miss  Whisk  Broom,  can  give  him  the  dust  and 
dirt  from  each  step  in  succession -- that  way 
comparatively  no  dust  will  be  raised  and  lots  of 
work  saved." 

"Oh,  Teddy,  you  are  so  wise!' 

"Ought  to  be;  lived  long  enough."  And  Mr* 
Sunbeam  slid  gaily  up  the  banisters;  he  had 
planted  a  good  seed  and  was  happy. 


The  Violet's  Tear. 

"  Little  Miss  Pansy  Face,  out  on  the  lawn, 
woke  one  day  with  a  most  prodigious  yawn." 

"  Oh,  is  that  you,  Mr.  Sunbeam  ?  Good  morn- 
ing ! "  and  Pansy's  bright  greeting  woke  every 
one  around. 

"  Yes,  I  believe  it's  I,"  said  Teddy. 

"  Go  on  with  your  poetry,  Mr.  Sunbeam." 

"No,  I  have  finished.  I  would  much  rather 
hear  one  of  your  celebrated  thoughts-  '  Pansy 
for  thoughts'  -quoted  Teddy,  gallantly. 

Pansy  smiled,  and  hung  her  head  modestly, 
while  Teddy  crept  closer,  and  whispered:  'Tell 
me,  Pansy." 


:Tve  nothing  new  this  morning;  I've  only 
been  thinking  of  the  story  Robin  told  me  at 
dawn;  it  seems  so  sad." 

" Why,  what?" 

"The  cause  of  the  little  white  tear  deep 
down  in  the  heart  of  Violet.  Shall  I  tell  you  ?  " 

"  Please." 

"Robin  says  that  the  little  tear  in  Violet's 
heart  is  the  home  of  I  Forget.  The  children, 
with  their  little  magic  tongues,  scatter  many  of 
them  along  the  way,  and  each  one  lodges  in  a 
Violet's  heart,  leaving  that  spot  of  white  in  the 
royal  purple. 

"Bravely  each  spring  Princess  Violet  comes 
back  to  earth  hoping  that  I  Forget  will  have  been 
vanquished  forever  by  General  Will  Remember, 
but  the  careless  little  ones  seem  against  her, 
even  though  Mama  tries  so  hard  to  prevent  it, 
and  so  all  the  beautiful,  bright  days  of  her  short 
life  the  little  white  tear  lies  at  her  heart." 

Pansy  finished,  and  silently  Teddy  Sunbeam 
crept  over  and  kissed  Princess  Violet's  brow. 


Mr.  Spider's  Escape. 

The  flowers  had  just  been  brought  out  from 
the  greenhouse  and  were  still  in  the  arms  of 
Mr.  Wheelbarrow,  waiting  to  be  planted  in  the 
sweet-smelling  earth.  Suddenly  there  was  a  peal 
of  laughter  from  them  as  Mr.  Spider  appeared 
upon  the  scene,  warm  and  breathless,  his  hat  on 
one  side  and  his  necktie  untied.  He  hurried  be- 
hind a  leaf  and  hid  there  trembling. 

Miss  Violet  looked  sympathetic,  but  Miss 
Pansy  Face  shook  with  laughter.  "Oh,  you  did 
look  so  funny ! '  she  gasped ;  "  only  graceful 
people  should  run." 


Teddy  Sunbeam  flitted  by,  remarking,  "That 
was  a  narrow  escape ;  better  tell  them  about  it." 

"He's  been  deserting  again,"  put  in  Mr. 
Wheelbarrow. 

"Yes,"  confessed  Mr.  Spider,  "I  have,  but  I 
got  my  pay.  You  see,  you  had  not  yet  returned 
to  your  summer  home,  and  I  was  lonesome,  for 
the  trees  are  not  always  socially  inclined,  so  I 
moved  into  the  parlor  and  built  on  a  picture 
frame.  This  morning  in  came  Edna  and  saw 
me;  quickly  she  tied  her  dust-cloth  around  the 
end  of  the  broom,  and  reaching  up  lifted  me  and 
my  house  down.  I  was  too  frightened  to  jump  to 
the  floor,  so  clung  to  the  broom  until  we  were 
outdoors,  when  she  shook  me  gently  off,  and 
now  here  I  am  home  again." 

"You  can  build  a  cottage  under  one  of  my 
leaves,"  offered  Violet,  sympathetically. 

"Thanks;  I  prefer  a  rosebush  foundation,  for 
I  intend  building  a  two-story  house  this  summer." 


Prince  Wasteful's  Defeat. 

There,  on  the  doorstep,  sat  Prince  Wasteful, 
wearing  the  most  disconsolate  look  imaginable. 
Things  were  evidently  going  wrong  with  him, 
and  Teddy  Sunbeam,  sailing  by  on  the  edge  of  a 
cloud,  decided  to  investigate  and  find  out  the 
trouble,  so  he  telephoned  down : 

"Hello,  Hill  27!" 

"  Hello ! " 

"  Is  that  you,  Wasteful  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  " 


"Matter!  Why,  everything  is  going  to  rack 
and  ruin  in  my  kingdom.  The  Duke  of  Savings 
has  won  three  battles  already  this  morning." 

"My,  that's  bad !  "  exclaimed  Teddy,  while  he 
winked  at  Miss  Rainbow.  The  Duke  of  Savings 
was  their  cousin,  so  he  could  not  sympathize 
very  strongly  with  the  Prince. 

"  Yes,  three  battles !  First,  when  Olive  made 
the  biscuit  for  breakfast,  in  bringing  the  flour 
out  from  the  pantry  she  held  a  pan  under  the 
sieve  so  it  would  not  sift  through  on  the  floor 
and  be  wasted.  Lillian,  when  clearing  the  table, 
carefully  saved  all  the  pieces  of  butter  that  were 
not  mussy,  and  put  them  away  for  cooking." 

"  Oh,  sad ! ' '  murmured  Teddy  over  the  wire, 
as  he  danced  gleefully  on  his  feathery  cloud. 

"  Yes,  it  was ;  then,  after  breakfast,  Caroline, 
in  washing  the  dishes,  took  all  the  tiny  pieces 
of  soap  that  belong  to  the  Kingdom  of  Wasteful- 
ness, tied  them  in  a  thin  cloth,  and  made  the 
water  soapy  with  that.  The  pieces  will  last  for 
three  or  four  times  this  way,  otherwise  they 
would  have  been  used  up  this  morning.  I  am 
really  very  discouraged,"  and  Wasteful  sighed 
dismally. 

Just  at  this  moment  Teddy  grew  so  hilarious 
that  Central  rang  off. 


The  Woes  of  Mr.  Fly. 

"What  in  the  world  is  the  matter  with  you, 
Mr.  Doorknob  ?  "  asked  Teddy  Sunbeam,  when  he 
came  in  early  the  other  morning. 

"I  was  laughing  about  that  fine  joke  on 
Mr.  Fly.  He  is  so  conceited  that  he  thinks  no 
one  can  get  the  best  of  him." 

"Yes,  he  is  very  conceited;  you  ought  to 
see  him  wink  at  me  sometimes  when  some  one 
chases  him  with  a  dust-cloth  and  tries  to  get  him 
out  of  the  window  in  that  way;  he  just  sails 
around  in  the  most  unconcerned  fashion,  and 
goes  everywhere  but  out." 

"He  didn't  wink  at  you  yesterday,  I  know." 


"I  don't  remember";  and  Teddy  paused 
reflectively  in  the  rocking-chair. 

"He  was  too  cross";  and  Mr.  Doorknob 
grinned  in  remembrance. 

"  Come,  tell  us  about  it." 

"Well,  Teddy,  it  was  this  way :  Mr.  Fly  and 
his  clan  had  been  having  no  end  of  fun  in  here 
all  the  morning  while  the  windows  were  up  to 
sun  and  air  the  room.  Presently,  in  came  Irene. 
She  put  down  all  the  windows  save  one,  which 
she  left  open  a  couple  of  inches.  Then  she  pulled 
down  every  curtain  except  the  one  at  the  open 
window.  This  she  lowered  until  it  was  within 
two  inches  of  Miss  Windowsill's  nose.  Surely 
you  remember  this,  Teddy  ? ' 

"  Yes,  I  do ;  Mr.  Fly's  second  cousin  came  up 
and  asked  me  where  he  was." 

"  Well,  when  the  shades  were  all  down,  so  it 
was  rather  dark  but  delightfully  cool,  Mr.  Fly 
grew  angry — he  cannot  see  in  the  dark;  he 
groped  his  way  to  the  crack  of  light,  met  you 
there  and  followed  you  out;  then  he  couldn't 
find  his  way  back." 

"Oh!  how  mad  he  must  have  been,  for  he 
said  nothing  could  get  him  out  of  the  house ! ' 

"  Mad ! '  and  again  Mr.  Doorknob  laughed 
merrily;  "you  ought  to  have  seen  him.  Why, 
he  fairly  screamed  with  rage ! ' 


Mr.  Coalscuttle. 


Mr.  Coalscuttle  lay  on  his  side  in  the  middle 
of  the  floor,  instead  of  being  in  a  dignified, 
upright  position  at  one  side  of  the  cellar;  and, 
worst  of  all,  he  did  not  appear  to  care. 

"Do  you  know,"  he  remarked  to  Miss  Door- 
sill,  'that  Teddy  Sunbeam  has  been  around 
scolding  again  ?  This  morning  he  found  fault 
with  my  position  here — just  as  if  I  were  to 
blame.  He  scolded  Miss  Broom  for  not  sweeping 
up  the  dirt  and  shavings  on  the  floor,  declared 
she  ought  to  stand  up  straight  instead  of  leaning 
way  over  against  Mr.  Coal-oil-can,  and  really 
made  himself  very  disagreeable  to  every  one." 


"The  worst  of  it  is,  we  cannot  resent  his 
taunts,  for  he  is  right,"  and  Miss  Doorsill  sighed 
dismally. 

"  I  know  that,  Miss  Doorsill,  but  if  our  rulers 
on  the  floor  above  treated  us  with  the  respect 
and  consideration  that  is  our  due,  he  would  have 
no  chance  to  talk  so." 

"  That's  it,"  put  in  Mr.  Cupboard-door,  who 
was  swinging  to  and  fro,  "  if  they  would  only  close 
me  as  they  should,  he  could  not  peep  in  and  see 
if  my  shelf  papers  were  clean  and  my  jellies  and 
jams  neatly  placed.  Then,  the  dust  Miss  Broom 
stirs  up  sometimes  is  dreadful  for  their  health, 
if  I  am  not  securely  fastened,  but  as  it  is  I  have 
to  depend  on  Mr.  Wind  to  lend  me  a  helping 
hand,  and  he  is  not  always  to  be  relied  upon." 

"  Suppose  we  send  in  a  petition  urging  our 
rights,"  suggested  Miss  Doorsill. 

"  Oh,  let's !  "  shouted  everybody. 


Teddy  Sunbeam's  Protest. 

Some  people  might  have  thought  it  was 
merely  a  silver  lining  to  the  cloud,  but  it  was 
Teddy  Sunbeam  himself,  wide  awake  and  busy 
at  work,  instead  of  going  to  sleep  as  he  usually 
did  when  Mother  Weather  unrolled  her  cloud 
blankets  and  suggested  he  retire. 

"  What  is  the  reason  of  all  this  industry  ? ' 
demanded  Miss  Rainbow. 

"  I  am  writing  up  my  lectures ;  don't  bother  me." 

Teddy's  dignity  was  so  unusual  and  so  really 
comical  that  Mother  Weather  laughed  until  she 
cried,  and  Teddy's  chum,  young  Starbeam,  fairly 
went  into  hysterics,  exasperating  his  friend 
beyond  measure. 


"Well,"  snapped  Teddy,  "if  they  had  paint 
where  you  came  from,  and  you  got  it  on  your 
pants,  you'd  value  the  information  I  have  here." 

"  Oh,  I  would,  would  I  ?  Suppose  you  let  me 
be  the  judge  of  that." 

"Now,  listen,"  and  Teddy  proceeded  to  read 
from  his  notes :  "  To  remove  a  spot  of  paint,  take 
some  turpentine  and  moisten  the  spot  well,  but 
first  put  a  ring  of  starch  around  the  spot,  so  the 
turpentine  will  not  spread.  After  it  has  soaked 
a  while,  scrape  gently  with  the  back  of  a  knife; 
then  apply  more  turpentine,  rubbing  well  with  a 
clean  cloth;  keep  changing  the  cloth,  and  pres- 
ently the  spot  will  all  have  disappeared." 

"You  are  a  wonder!"  was  all  that  Starbeam 
could  say. 


The  Doggie's  Ignorance. 

"  Why,  Kitten,  you  look  as  happy  as  can  be  this 
morning;  as  bright,  almost,  as  Teddy  Sunbeam." 

"  Well,  why  not  ?  " 

"  I  expected  you  to  have  a  headache,  sleeping 
there  in  the  basement,  where  everything  has 
been  freshly  painted.  The  odor  of  paint  makes 
most  people  ill.  I  know  it  affects  me." 

"  Oh,  you  dogs,  you  are  so  stupid !  "  and  Kitten 
assumed  a  very  superior  air.  "Of  course,  paint 
makes  people  sick,  but  it  is  so  easy  to  prevent 
it.  For  instance,  last  night  Bessie  simply  put  a 
pail  of  fresh  water  in  the  basement  and  it  quickly 
absorbed  all  disagreeable  smell. 


"She  discovered  this  when  the  dairy  was 
painted  last  week,  and  the  water  and  milk 
absorbed  all  the  odor.  Now  she  is  very  careful 
not  to  allow  milk  to  stand  near  fresh  paint,  as  it 
is  so  easily  affected  and  rendered  unwholesome." 


Miss  Dishcloth's  Ancestry. 

Miss  Dishcloth  was  most  thoroughly  angry: 
every  one  on  the  clothes-line  knew  it,  and  it  was 
only  Teddy  Sunbeam  who  had  the  courage  to 
ask  the  reason. 

"  Reason !  why,  they  have  been  calling  me  a 
Rag,  and  do  you  suppose  for  one  moment  that  I 
belong  to  that  family  ?  Of  course  it  was  all  right 
asking  you  to  fight  my  microbes,  for  that  is  what 
I  am  outside  today  for ;  but  to  be  called  a  '  Rag ' 
is  a  thing  I  will  not  stand." 

"Well,  I  can  remember  when  that  was  your 
name ; "  and  Teddy  smiled  wickedly. 

"  Oh,  I  know ;  I  don't  deny  my  ancestry,  even 


if  it  goes  back  fifty  years.  In  those  days  there 
may  possibly  have  been  a  family  of  Rags  living 
in  the  kitchen,  but  it  is  very  different  now,  and 
I  want  you  to  understand  that  I  am  as  neatly 
cut  and  as  carefully  hemmed  as  any  member  of 
the  Dishtowel  family." 

"And  your  visiting  cards --how  are  they 
engraved  ? ' 

"  Why,  Miss  White  Dishcloth,  of  course.  I've 
every  right  to  that  distinction,  and  I  claim  it." 


Mr.  Sunbeam's  Visit. 

"Well,  of  all  cross-looking  people !  "  exclaimed 
Teddy  Sunbeam,  as  he  came  through  the  window 
into  the  cellar  and  chanced  to  meet  Miss  Doorsill. 

"You  would  look  cross,  too,  if  you  had  my 
troubles  to  bear." 

"No,  I  wouldn't;  I  always  smile,  no  matter 
what  happens." 

"  What  about  yesterday  ? ' '  snapped  the  little 
lady  on  the  floor. 


You  mean  when  it  rained  ?  Oh,  I  just  took 
a  nap,  and  even  then  I  was  smiling  behind  my 
cloud  blankets;  but  tell  me  about  your  trouble/' 

"  My  trouble !  What  do  you  think !  "  and  little 
Miss  Doorsill  gulped  down  a  sob.  "  Until  yesterday 
I  was  the  pride  of  the  Cellar  Social  Circle,  I  was 
always  so  trim  and  neat.  Yesterday  somebody 
came  and  chopped  kindling  right  on  my  shoulder, 
and  just  look  at  the  scars !  There  is  no  com- 
plexion varnish  that  will  cure  them,  and  there 
they  must  stay  until  I  die." 

"  Well,  I'd  just  like  to  know  why  you  didn't 
tell  them  to  use  that  block  of  hardwood  the  car- 
penter left  for  that  very  purpose.  You  are  cer- 
tainly stupid." 

"I  did  tell  them,  but  they  wouldn't  listen." 

"Never  mind,  I  shall  tell,  and  also  suggest 
that  thin  muslin  curtains  be  put  up  at  those  win- 
dows; my  beauty  needs  to  be  veiled  in  coming 
in ;  then,  another  thing, — people,  in  passing,  do  not 
like  to  see  cross  girls  like  you  peering  from  the 
windows,  or  certain  other  undignified  members 
of  your  set,  like  Mr.  Coalscuttle,  for  instance; 
they  had  much  rather  gaze  at  the  flowers  with 
a  nice  muslin  curtain  for  background." 


A  Bit  of  Flower  Gossip. 

The  flowers  were  busy  getting  their  clothes 
dry  after  Night  Dew's  visit,  and  Teddy  Sunbeam 
was  ironing  out  the  wrinkles. 

"  You  heard  about  the  Cellar  Circle's  petition, 
didn't  you  ?  "  asked  Violet. 

"Yes,"  said  Rose.  "I  wonder  if  it  was  suc- 
cessful ?  " 

"I  don't  know,"  put  in  Ivy.  "The  door  is 
never  open  nowadays;  passers-by  and  tramps 
have  no  chance  to  peer  in,  or  sneak  in,  as  the 
latter  often  do.  Why,  even  the  windows  are 
veiled  with  muslin  curtains." 

16 1  am  glad  of  it,  for  my  part,  but  with  your 


prying,  creeping  disposition,  Ivy,  it  must  be  really 
annoying,"  and  pert  Miss  Pansy  winked  at  Violet. 

"I  can  tell  you." 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Sunbeam,  do  !  " 

'I  looked  in  the  other  morning  when  Miss 
Broom  was  at  work  and  the  door  was  open  for 
the  dust  to  escape.  Why,  I  didn't  know  the  place ! 
The  kindling  was  piled  neatly  in  the  corner ;  the 
coal  was  in  its  proper  bin ;  empty  bottles  stood  in 
a  neat  row  on  the  shelf;  clean  paper  was  on  the 
shelf --in  fact,  on  all  shelves;  not  a  cobweb  was 
to  be  seen,  and,  best  of  all,  Miss  Doorsill  had  a 
fresh  coat  of  paint.  We  really  must  congratu- 
late them," 


Princess  Order. 

Princess  Order  was  worried;  there  was  a 
wrinkle  right  under  the  little  curl  in  her  forehead. 
You  see,  she  had  heard  that  King  Disorder  was 
trying  to  win  some  of  her  maids  of  honor;  he 
wanted  them  attached  to  his  court,  and  small 
wonder,  for  they  were  dear  girls.  All  this  dis- 
pleased the  Princess  very  much,  so  she  sent  for 
Mr.  Sunbeam,  who  was  one  of  her  officials,  to 
investigate  things. 

In  and  out  of  the  rooms  he  flitted,  and  what 
did  he  see?  Everything  was  in  perfect  order, 
the  brush  and  comb  neat,  not  a  hair  in  either; 


not  a  speck  of  dust  on  anything;  each  ribbon 
folded  and  in  its  place;  the  handkerchiefs  all  in 
a  dainty  pile --in  fact,  everything  in  the  bureau 
had  its  own  special  place.  Each  dress  in  the 
closet  was  hanging  by  hooks  and  not  by  a  sleeve. 
The  shoes  were  side  by  side  in  a  row ;  not  even 
a  picture  hung  crooked  on  the  wall.  Teddy 
couldn't  even  find  a  cobweb. 

"Surely,"  thought  Mr.  Sunbeam,  "the  Prin- 
cess must  be  mistaken.  King  Disorder's  domain 
never  looked  like  this':  -at  least  Mr.  Sunbeam 
had  never  found  it  so,  but  he  couldn't  be  sure, 
for  there  the  window-panes  were  so  dirty  that  he 
could  rarely  peep  into  a  room;  here  they  were 
so  clear  he  hardly  knew  when  he  entered. 

Back  to  the  Princess  flew  Teddy  Sunbeam, 
and  as  he  gave  his  report - 

Quick  the  forehead  wrinkle  flew, 
Into  her  cheek  a  dimple  grew; 
For  all  neatness  she  had  smiles, 
Saving  frowns  for  Disorder's  trials. 


Miss  Chrysanthemum's  Victory. 

Miss  Chrysanthemum  looked  very  wise  and 
exceedingly  pleased  with  herself.  The  night 
before  she  had  an  argument  with  the  other 
flowers  and  had  been  in  the  right.  This  fact 
gave  her  a  very  proud  air  as  she  looked  over 
the  fence  and  greeted  Teddy  Sunbeam  when  he 
came  down  Trestle  Glen  Tuesday  morning. 

Teddy  did  not  wait  a  moment,  but  exclaimed : 
"Come,  tell  me  all  about  it;  I  met  Starbeam  on 
my  way  down  and  he  said  you  flowers  had  a 
perfect  war  of  words  down  here  last  night.  He 
declared  he  never  heard  such  a  heated  argu- 
ment. Didn't  I  tell  you  to  go  to  sleep  when  I 


went  out  through  the  Golden  Gate  last  night 
about  seven  o'clock  ?  ' 

"Oh,  I  guess  you  did!  I  don't  remember; 
but,  Teddy,  please  don't  be  cross." 

"I'm  not  cross;  I  simply  don't  intend  to  roll 
back  all  my  fog  veil  for  an  hour  yet." 

Miss  Chrysanthemum  smiled  and  nodded  her 
head  gaily  to  Morning  Breeze  as  he  passed,  then 
turned  and  told  Teddy  Sunbeam  the  story  of  the 
night  trouble. 

"You  see,  it  was  this  way:  We  were  all 
wondering  why  Fermor  left  the  clothes  on  the 
line  so  late.  You  had  gone,  and  we  knew 
Starbeam  was  almost  due.  Rose  declared  the 
clothes  had  been  forgotten ;  Pansy  said  about  the 
same  thing.  I  stood  up  for  Fermor,  though  I  did 
feel  that  if  she  did  not  hurry  she  certainly  would 
not  get  them  sprinkled.  Just  then,  along  came 
Night  Dew ;  in  ten  minutes  he  had  everything  on 
that  line  evenly  dampened,  and  almost  immedi- 
ately Fermor  and  Irene  appeared.  They  worked 
together,  removing  a  sheet  from  the  line,  folding 
it  lengthwise  twice,  then  the  other  way  a  few 
times.  Other  things  were  taken  off  and  folded, 
and  being  damp,  no  sprinkling  was  necessary." 

"And  you  didn't  suppose  Fermor  knew  all 
this  ?  "  queried  Teddy. 

"  No,  but  I  knew  she  would  not  neglect  things." 


Teddy  Sunbeam  at  Work. 

Teddy  was  up  bright  and  early,  for  the  Spring 
was  well  advanced,  and  it  was  his  busy  season. 
You  see,  in  the  Winter  and  early  Spring  there 
were  whole  days  that  he  slept  curled  up  behind 
a  cloud  blanket  with  never  one  peep  at  the  world. 
Once  in  a  while  he  snoozed  an  entire  week  and 
one  never  saw  his  face;  but  he  always  worked 
hard  afterwards  and  made  up  for  lost  time.  This 
morning  there  was  not  even  a  suspicion  of  a 
cloud  about  to  tempt  him. 

"I  am  going  to  get  material  for  a  lecture 
tour,"  he  announced  to  Mr.  Moon,  as  that  night 
watchman  went  off  duty. 


'  Guess  I'll  start  in  the  kitchen ;  one  finds  the 
most  folks  there  in  the  morning." 

Just  as  he  peeked  in  the  window  he  heard 
Mama  say:  "Don't  put  hot  water  in  that,  dear; 
don't  you  know  that  dishes  which  have  had 
milk,  eggs,  flour  or  potatoes  in  them  should  be 
rinsed  first  in  cold  water,  which  tends  to  dissolve 
and  loosen  everything,  while  hot  water  cooks 
and  thus  hardens  these  substances  and  makes 
the  dishes  much  harder  to  wash  ? ' 

'But  greasy  things  must  have  hot  water  to 
loosen  the  dirt,"  put  in  Bonniedel. 

"That's  right,"  laughed  Mama,  glad  that  her 
little  girl  was  remembering  past  lessons. 

"There,  I  have  two  items,"  remarked  Teddy 
Sunbeam,  as  he  wrote  them  down  in  the  north- 
east corner  of  his  brain. 


The  Kitten's  Protest. 

The  little  white  kitten  was  too  sulky  for 
words;  she  would  not  be  petted,  she  would  not 
purr,  she  had  not  even  smoothed  down  her  fur  as 
usual,  and  here  it  was  almost  ten  o'clock.  Some- 
thing serious  must  be  the  matter. 

The  old  gray  cat  sat  on  the  fence  and  won- 
dered at  the  unusual  sight  as  long  as  his  patience 
would  allow,  then  down  he  jumped  and  came 
over  to  investigate. 

"What's  the  matter,  Snowflake?  You  look 
as  if  you  did  not  have  a  friend  in  the  world." 

A  naughty  spit  was  the  only  answer;  the 
little  back  went  up  and  the  tail  grew  large,  while 


the  owner  of  this  temper  struck  spitefully  at  poor 
Greybeard,  who  was  in  no  way  to  blame. 

"  Oh,  come,  Snowflake,  tell  me." 

And  then  the  trouble  all  came  out. 

It  seems  Snowflake  considered  that  a  certain 
sunny  corner  of  the  kitchen  window  had  always 
belonged  to  her,  and  now  this  morning  she  found 
a  row  of  milk  pans  there,  while  Teddy  Sunbeam, 
her  own  particular  friend,  was  busy  with  them, 
instead  of  giving  her  the  usual  sun  bath.  Oh,  it 
was  too  annoying !  No  sense  in  it,  either. 

"Why,  you  poor,  ignorant  kitten,"  answered 
Greybeard;  "don't  you  know  the  pans  were  put 
there  to  be  made  thoroughly  sweet  and  clean  by 
Teddy  Sunbeam,  so  the  milk  won't  sour  as  quickly 
in  them  and  will  taste  nice  and  sweet  with  your 
bread  at  dinner?" 


